Barriers to Communication The process of communication has multiple barriers. The intended communiqué will often be disturbed and distorted leading to a condition of misunderstanding and failure of communication. The Barriers to effective communication could be of many types like linguistic, psychological, emotional, physical, and cultural etc. We will seeall of these types in detail below. 1. Linguistic Barriers The language barrier is one of the main barriers that limit effective communication. Language is the most commonly employed tool of communication. The fact that each major region has its own language is one of the Barriers to effective communication. Sometimes even a thick dialect may render the communication ineffective. As per some estimates, the dialects of every two regions changes within a few kilometers. Even in the same workplace, different employees will have different linguistic skills. Asa result, the communication channels that span across the organization would be affected by this. Thus keeping this barrier in mind, different considerations have to be made for different employees. Some = of themare very proficient ina certain language and others will be ok with these languages, Ne2. Psychological Barriers ‘There are various mental and psychological issues that may be barriers to effective communication. Some people have stage fear, speech disorders, phobia, depression etc. All of these conditions are very difficult to manage sometimes and will most certainly limit the ease of communication. 3. Emotional Barriers The emotional IQ of a person determines the ease and comfort person who is emotionally mature will be able to communicate effecti let theiremotions take over will face certain difficulties. ‘which they can communicate. A ly. On the other hand, people who A perfect mixture of emotions and facts is necessary for effective communication. Emotions frustration, humour, can blur the decision-making capacities of a person and thus limit the effectiveness of their communication. anger, 4, Physical Barriers to Communication ‘They are the most obvious barriers to effective communication. These barriers are mostly easily removable in principle at least. They include barriers like noise, closed doors, faulty equipment used for ‘communication, closed cabins, etc. Sometimes, ina large office, the physical separation between various employees combined with faulty equipment may result in severe barriers to effecti5. Cultural Barriers of Communication ‘As the world is getting more and more globalized, any large office may have people from several parts of the world. Different cultures have a different meaning for several basic values of society. Dressing, Religions or lack of them, food, drinks, pets, and the general behaviour will change drastically from one culture to another. Hence it is a must that we must take these different cultures into account while communication. This is what we call being culturally appropriate. In many multinational companies, special courses are offered at the orientation stages that let people know about other cultures and how to be courteous and tolerant of others. 6. Organizational Structure Barriers ‘As we saw there are many methods of communication at an organizational level. Each of these methods has its own problems and constraints that may become barriers to effecti i these barriers arise because of misinformation or lack of appropriate transparency available to the ‘employees."TORERIEUdE Barrier= Certain people like to be left alone. They are the introverts or just people who are not very social. Others. like to be social or sometimes extra clingy! Both these cases could become a barrier to communication. ‘Some people have attitude issues, like huge ego and inconsiderate behaviours. ‘These employees can cause severe strains in the communication channels that they are present in. Certain personality traits like shyness, anger, social anxiety may be removable through courses and proper training. However, problems like egocentric behaviour and selfishness may not be correctable. 8, Perception Barriers Different people perceive the same things differently. This is a fact which we must consider during the ‘communication process. Knowledge of the perception levels of the audience is crucial to effective ‘communication. All the messages or communique must be easy and clear. There shouldn't be any room for adiversified interpretational set. 9. Physiological Barriers Certain disorders or diseases or other limitations could also prevent effective communication between the various channels of an organization. The shrillness of voice, dyslexia, etc are some examples of physiological barriers to effective communication. However, these are not crucial because they can easily ee be compensated and remove ae10, Technological Barriers & Socio-religious Barriers Other barriers include the technological barriers. The technology is developing fast and as a result, it becomes difficult to keep up with the newest developments. Hence sometimes the technological advance may becomea barter. In addition tothis, the cost of technology is sometimes very high. Most of the organizations will not be able to afford a decent tech for the purpose of communication, Hence, this becomes a very crucial barrier. Other barriers are socio-eligius barriers. In a patriarchal society, a woman or atransgender may face many difficulties and barriers while communicating.Steps in Implementing an Effective Employee Communications Programme MEME y 2 wourncenores 5 tips to improve employee communication Most organizations plan meticulously how to best engage thelr external audience, but they conveniently forget about their most important constituency: employees. High performing organizations make sure employee communicationis their priority and this is one of the reasons they stand out! Hereare the top 5 tips to improve employee communication in your organization 1. Communicate with clarity Overusing jargon or technical terms will only lead to more misunderstanding. Be clear while communicating. 2.Setthetone ‘Management and leadership of the organization need to set the tone right. The need to be accessible and they need to understand that there isa certain elation between strategic employee communications and organizational goal achievement. 3. Know your employees You don't need to communicate differently with different employees, you just need to know your ‘employees. To understand the perception of your employees surveys them regularly.4, Use multiple channels. ‘Most people need to hear or read the message multiple, least the message is lost in translation, Distribute your message through various channels so that it reaches people well within time. 5. Measure the effectiveness No communication should be without a set abjective, else the purpose of communication is entirely lost. ‘There are many ways to facilitate communication, but what's the point if it falls on deaf ears. Make sure ‘you regularly measure the engagement and ask employees if the communication strategy works. ‘There area few key steps to take when building an effective internal communication strategy. These steps will ensure that your strategy is airtight and has the maximum benefits forall employees. 1. Review Your Current Strategy Before revamping your internal communication strategy, it's important to take stock of what's currently inplace. Evaluate your current IC strategy to identify its strengths and weaknesses. Find out what you'd like to improve on. Ask yourself questions sucha‘+ Howis your current strategy being implemented? ‘+ What softwareand channels are you currently using? + Howeffective isit? + What impact does it have on company culture? What are the chief complaints you've been recei \gabou Answering these questions will give you a good baseline to start with. You can then build and improve on this with your new strategy. 2. Define Your Audience Before coming up witha plan for your internal communication, i's i portant to identify your audience. ‘Most companies make the mistake of treating their employees as one large, homogeneous demographic. This is problematic as different divisions of your company will want different things out of ‘their communi jonchannels. For example, your software development and sales teams will have very different communication needs. Spend some time and segment your audience into they need. 3.Set Clear Goals It’s important to have concrete goals and timelines in place to add some structure to your planning process. srent groups so that itis easier to give them what.3. Set Clear Goals It’s important to have concrete goals and timelines in place to add some structure to your planning process. Devise reasonable timelines for planning, ideation and execution to set yourself up for success. Goals should lay out what you want your internal communication efforts to achieve. ‘When coming up with goals, its essential to follow the SMART formula: ‘+ Specific: Your goals need to be concrete, not vague. + Measurable: Your goals must be quantifiable. ‘+ Attainable: Ensure that your goals are realistic with your current resources. + Relevant: Goals must be directly inked to your company’saspirations. + Time-bound: Your goals must have deadlines to keep yourself on track. 4, Define Your New Strategy Now it’s time to hash out your vision for your new internal communication strategy. Your new internal ‘communication strategy should include: + Clear goals + An Audience segmentation + Clear metrics + Realistictimelines« Ambassadors e« Aninternal communication solution *« Theright content types e Aneffective content distribution